nuclear-news

South Africa keeps grip on its stash of weapons grade nuclear fuel

South Africa refuses to let go of its nuclear explosives, Business Tech  By MyBroadbandMarch 22, 2015 The Centre for Public Integrity, a US-based non-profit investigative news organisation, has published a report which says that South Africa has enough nuclear explosives to fuel half-a-dozen bombs.

According to the report, the nuclear explosives are locked in a former silver vault at the Pelindaba Nuclear Research Centre close to the Hartbeespoort Dam.

Pelindaba is operated by The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation, and was were South Africa’s atomic weapons under apartheid were developed, built, and stored.

These explosives were created by the apartheid government as part of its nuclear weapons programme. According to a report by Marcus Duvenhage, South Africa had six nuclear devices, and was busy constructing a seventh, by the time the programme stopped.

South Africa ended its nuclear weapons programme in 1989, and these weapons were dismantled.

However, the highly-enriched uranium fuel was extracted, melted down, and cast into ingots.

The report states that roughly 220kg of this fuel remains, and that South Africa is “keeping a tight grip on it”.

This weapons-grade nuclear fuel means South Africa can easily become a nuclear state again. However, the biggest concern to the United States is that it will be stolen by militants and used in a terrorist attack……..http://businesstech.co.za/news/general/83023/south-africa-refuses-to-let-go-of-its-nuclear-explosives/

March 22, 2015 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general